The Legend of Diamond and Pearl
by Himizu-hana
Summary: "Well then, bring it-" he was cut off. "Is that?" "Looks like it's heading towards Ash!" "Pathetic! It's obvious it wants you idiots to follow it." DISCONTINUED { read A/N }
1. Prologue

Hi guys! I have created a new beginning for my story, which I also renamed. The plot is basically the same. It's just the way I present it. I will most likely be updating chapter by chapter because I'm writing the story down and then typing it. It's better that way for me. Enjoy!

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**Prologue**

The blue-haired girl skipped into the dazzling ballroom. Servants were bustling around, trying to complete the decorations just in time for the enormous cake to arrive. A sharp-eyed adviser noticed the little princess peeking from behind the crimson curtains. "Shoo!" he barked and with a shrill scream, the girl stumbled out of the room. She did not let it dampen her mood, being optimistic and bubbly. Walking down the aisle, she paused every few seconds to admire the portraits of her ancestors, not noticing a brown-haired man walking towards her with long strides. She emitted an elated squeal when he lifted her up into the air and turned around like a whirlwind. When he finally released her, she jumped out of his hands and ran around in happy circles, chanting, "I'm ten today, Dad! Ten today, ten today, ten today!"

"Just like her mother," thought the King. "Bubbly, cheerful and optimistic."

All of a sudden, she stopped with a gasp. "Did Riley come?" she inquired, referring to her cousin. King Caleb shook his head remorsefully, "He's too busy, sweetie, but he did send you a gift."

"Really?" she asked.

Before he could reply, the head maid, Lily, appeared. "Princess? It's time for you to get ready!" Nearly bursting with excitement, she waved to her father and followed Lily.

"Oh Johanna, if only you were here," thought King Caleb, an image of his wife appearing in his mind. The little girl looked so much like her mother.

~A Few Hours Later~

"Oh, wow, Dad!" Everyone turned to look at the young bluenette in the middle of the room, clutching her sequined dress tightly. The King was holding out a Pokémon egg with milky rainbow-coloured swirls on it. With trembling hands, she took it gently and pressed it against her chest. And that was not all; Her father handed her a box wrapped with a pink ribbon. Placing the egg between her feet, she opened the box to reveal her first Pokéball. Her eyes lit up in delight. "I can't wait for the others," she said and twirled around on the spot.

_But that happy moment was not to last for if it did, there would be no story to tell, no legend to be passes down, no adventure to embark on…_

At that exact second, the warning bells resounded through the kingdom . King Caleb turned ashen. He knew what three bells meant-_they_ had returned. He cast a terrified look at his young daughter. His expression swiftly became that of determination. "I won't lose you, too," he vowed. "I'll die trying."

"Run, sweetie! You know where to," he bellowed as he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. The birthday girl looked stunned. Then picking up the egg, she ran down the hall, frantically trying to find the passageway. A vague memory flashed through her head and she turned left-and banged right into hard armour. "Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in," a cold, mean, voice sneered. Wincing, she looked up, staring right into the eyes of a blue-haired man, who would later be known as the leader of "Team Galactic". With an evil laugh, he bundled her up and threw her over his shoulder. "Retreat!" he shouted into his electronic device. "I've found her!" Tears clouded her vision as she struggled violently. "Dad, dad, DAD!"

Somewhere in the maze of tunnels, past the main entrance, King Caleb felt something in his heart. "No," he whispered hoarsely. "No!"

"Once again, Caleb, you've lost. " Cyrus glanced at the sleeping girl on his airship. She would be very useful in the future.

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There! I hope you enjoyed it! I will only continue if I get 5 new reviews.


	2. AN

A/N: I'm really sorry guys but I have to inform you that I will be **unable to update until after 5th****October.** You see, as I have explained in my profile, this nationwide, really important exam of mine is coming up in like 28 days (excluding weekends and public holidays) so I want to do my best and get into one of the elite secondary schools. Forgive me! I really didn't expect requests for updates 8D Bear with me, please.

Love and apologies,  
Cecilia Beth

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Update: 5th of October 2011

They are FINALLY over! I'm so happy and hyper 8D 8D 8D Thank you so much guys! And Naru-san, HBF_ is _around. He was supposedly reincarnated after I shot him XD And Ryleigh, u're awesome 8D I never expected u to review 3 Curse that Fiesta maintenance XD So sorry I couldn't chat with u after ur shower. I'll try to update as soon as possible 4 u guys! So sorry for making u wait.

Love and virtual cookies (safe for consumption),  
Cecilia Beth 8D 3

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Update: 25th of October 2011

I'm really sorry. I can't believe it's been 20 days since I last checked. I just received my PSLE results yesterday and I'm really happy with it. I can't explain how guilty I am for not updating for so super long. I'm glad to you, my reviewers. I will definitely try to get the next chapter in by the day after tomorrow at least. I was so busy typing this story I want to publish (as in like a children's book) that I didn't have time to update. Hope you still love me :'(

Love and really guilty,  
Cecilia Beth (lots of hearts)


	3. Chapter 1

Upon looking at the first chapter after some time, I noticed that Dawn acted more like a 5-year-old rather than a 10-year-old. So, what do you guys think? Should I change her age to 5? I need at least 5 people to say yes to change the age since the age does matter a lot 8D Anyway, I'm glad to finally get to the first chapter of this story. I'm so happy that my reviewers were happy with my story. I guess it will take a long time to update but hope you guys will stay with and support me. Anyway, enough dawdling. Here we go!

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**Introduction**

I groaned as I pushed myself up on the bed. The morning sunlight was blinding. I looked at the time and felt the colour drain from my face. "Holy shit, I'm late!" I frantically jumped off bed and put on the apron on the table over my clothes from the previous day. The Pokéball on the table started to roll ever so slowly. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Lu," I mumbled as I picked up the Pokéball.

"Riolu, spotlight!"

There was a flash of light and there, standing, no hopping, before me was my faithful and only Pokémon, Riolu. I smiled at him grimly. "Looks like we have to work really hard today." He nodded enthusiastically. He pointed at my hair, "Riolu, lu," I touched it, horrified. "Oh no, this bad. This is really, really bad, what am I going to do?" I shrieked, dashing to the mirror in the bathroom. I winced. It was standing up; literally. Having no choice, I filled up a bucket of icy cold water and splashed it onto my head. I let out a tiny scream, startled by the coldness. I had no time to lose. "Come on," I cried, slamming the room door open and into the hallway, towards the staircase leading to the kitchen. I looked at the watch on my wrist. It was 9.10a.m. The water in my hair had dripped down to my clothes. As I turned into the corner, I saw Jupiter and Mars leaning against the wall. I felt like, at that moment, wringing their necks. They smiled nastily at me. "Curse you," I muttered under my breath, as I brushed past them. Riolu bared his teeth at them. They were the ones who had probably switched off the alarm. "What did you say?" I heard Jupiter say in her annoying, squeaky voice as she grabbed onto the back of my collar. I whipped my head around to face her, smiling innocently.

"Oh, I was just thinking about my wedding."

I saw the thunderstruck look on her face. It was the reaction I had been waiting for. Taking the chance, I hurriedly pushed past them and into the kitchen, locking the doors. It was the truth. I was always thinking about it at the back of my mind. I shook my head. Now was not the time. Rolling up my sleeves, I got to work. "Ready, Lu? We have exactly two hours." My Pokémon nodded, saluting. "Riolu!"

~At 11.10a.m.~

The breakfast bell rang, the sound reverberating throughout the whole ship. I wiped my sweaty forehead, sighing in exhaustion. I had finished cooking for the entire crew on the airship in two hours; what I would usually finish in six hours. I could tell that Riolu was more tired than I was but he was doing a good job of hiding it well. "Good job, Lu, boyo," I told him, patting his head. He grinned at me. I smiled back. "Time to have a shower," I groaned as I smelled myself. It was enough to make me nauseous. "Riolu, rio, riolu!" I looked at my Pokémon in surprise. "What?" I looked at the direction he was looking. I felt like choking.

"Oh for Arceus' sake," I whispered. "Not now."

There he was, smiling smugly at me, as if I was his most prized possession. "What do you want?" I asked him flatly. "What do you think I want?" Saturn asked me, as smoothly as ever. "Oh I don't know, me?" I glared at him. "Precisely." I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end as he took a few steps close towards me. "Well, unfortunately, as I happen to be the airship's maid, I have to go and clean up now," I told him as I slowly, edged away from him. "Come on, Riolu," I said, as I brushed past him, my shoulder touching his. "Not for long now, not for long," I heard him say in those few seconds. It was just plain creepy but he was telling the truth. Shuddering, I walked past him as quickly (and dignified) as possible. Riolu walked next to me, upright and almost military-like. I smiled at him proudly. However, as we reached the corner, we once again met our sworn enemies. The red-haired Mars and purple-haired Jupiter. They wouldn't have been my enemies if I hadn't been engaged to stupid Saturn, the cause of all my trouble. "You're going to regret this," Jupiter hissed. "Wouldn't mind if you got a little accident," Mars hissed, cracking her knuckled. I blinked. My mind was blank-I had no idea how to get past them without getting injured. I suddenly saw sickeningly sweet smiles appear on their faces as a hand wrapped itself around my waist. I tried not to shudder.

"Is there any problem, ladies?"

I heard Saturn's voice next to me. "Not at all, Commander," both of them echoed, before turning around to leave, but not before glaring at me. When they were gone, I pushed his hand away from me and waked forward without looking back. Each day was getting harder, trying to survive without trouble from Mars and Jupiter and staying as far away from Saturn and his grandfather as possible. My thoughts went back to seven years ago, on my tenth birthday. I had actually been a princess. Now it seemed like a dream. I couldn't even remember my father's face anymore. I felt my eyes become blurry. Angrily, I wiped away the tears. "I'm glad I didn't leave you behind, Lu," I told my Pokémon. As soon as we had left the Land of Peace (平和の土地) , everything had changed. I had slowly been introduced to electronic gadgets and all things digital and the different ways of this other world. Including the language (you do notice that I have learned to curse). The Land of Peace had been hidden from all, that is, until Cyrus, the leader of Team Galactic, discovered it. I had always known how he had taken and killed my mother. Father had always told me to be careful because they could come back to get me. And he had been right. I had been too weak to protect myself. But even until now, I didn't know his ulterior motive. Just to marry me off to his grandson? I didn't think so. He needed me for something; I knew that much. But for what? I didn't know.

It was a good thing that I had made at least a good friend in Koizumi Asuka, the airship's pilot. She was a cheerful person, daring and very brave. Her trademark? That beautiful, long, golden hair that ended in ringlets. It wasn't surprising that most of the men on the ship fell for someone as beautiful as her. I opened the door to my room. It was made of metal, sparsely covered with now peeling off pink paint. A lone sketch of me with Riolu hung on the wall. There was the single bed, and the small dressing table with a phone on it. I have to admit, I'm a sucker when it comes to pink. Locking the door securely behind me, I stepped into the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror. Honestly, I'm not that bad looking. With sky-blue eyes and long, flowing blue hair, and a nice chest, why wouldn't Jupiter and Mars be jealous of me? Okay, I know that _was_ a little bit boastful. But it does happen to be true. However, I started to wonder recently, was I really, totally human? The Land of Peace (平和の土地) was hidden from the outside world. That itself was strange, for where in this time and era, were princesses and kings?

Sighing, I undressed myself and stepped into the shower. Sometime later, I exited the bathroom, feeling much more clean and refreshed. I had changed into Daisy Dukes and an embellished rosette tank. I smelled myself. Yup, it was satisfactory. Riolu gave me the look that said, "I'm going to faint." I couldn't help but laugh. When he looked like that, he meant the scent of the Strawberry shampoo was overpowering. Soon, I became aware of the acute pain in my stomach. I moaned. I hadn't eaten for hours. "Riolu," I heard a tiny growl from Riolu. "I know, buddy, I'm starving too." I scowled. We had to wait until everyone finished before we could eat. But by now, reader, you might be thinking, 'Why did she not try to escape?' That's easy to answer. I would love to but I just can't. They installed a tracking device in me, yes, literally. It's in my arm. They did it when I was unconscious; drugged me. So, wherever I go, they will find me. I looked out of the window. Land was far below me. I realised that we were now flying, invisible, over the Kanto region. "Oh Riolu," I gasped. "Remember what Asuka-san told us?" He nodded eagerly. "The Tree of Beginning is somewhere outside the borders ," I grinned, pressing my nose against the window. "How amazing," I sighed.

A sudden series of sharp knocks on the door startled me. I jumped back from the window and opened the door. Standing in front of me was a smart-looking officer. His brown hair was hanging in bangs over his face, though. I read his nameplate tag. It read, "Nakamura Takashi". I frowned at him. "What do you want?" And then, suddenly, before I could even react, something hit me, really hard. "Sorry, I'm really sorry," were the last words I heard before darkness overtook my vision…

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There you go! I think that was probably the longest chapter I've written *Wipes forehead* I have to admit, I enjoyed the feeling of writing that one 8D I can't believe I actually wrote about her chest *Squeals* I just felt like I had to (I'm a girl too!). And the things about her clothes? I researched it (yes, researched). The top is from Forever 21 (the exact title) and the shorts, are, well, Daisy Dukes. In fact, I have a done a lot of research on the whole. Most of what I find about Pokémon is related to the games, which is quite inconvenient XD I decided to twist things a little, having Riolu as Dawn's starter Pokémon. I wonder if the ending was a cliffhanger? If so, I'm glad 8D I just finished watching H.O.T.D earlier today and want a second season so bad T_T Why, oh, why, must Saeko not be with Takashi? Nooo Oh well, getting back to the point, review and tell me what you think of this chapter, friends :P


	4. Chapter 2

So, felt inspired again and couldn't wait to type out the new chapter 8D I even had a evil dream of having the power to take over people's minds last night LOL And here we go!

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When I came to, I realised that I was in a metal cabin. My stomach area ached and I felt like I had been electrified. Then, what had happened to me earlier filled me. I had obviously been kidnapped. That puzzled me. Why kidnap me on the ship? I already been kidnapped. As I attempted to stand up, a shadow fell over me. I looked up, ready to defend myself. My jaw dropped to the ground. "Asuka-san?" The golden-haired woman smiled apologetically at me. "I'm so sorry, Dawn-chan, but there was no other way Takashi-kun could have squeezed you in here. I had a feeling you wouldn't trust anyone else on the ship except me so I had to make him zap you and bring you here." I sat up, rubbing my aching head. "But why?" She looked around before whispering in my ear, "I discovered a way you could escape." I stared at her, stunned, before starting to laugh hysterically. "Oh, you kidnapped me and brought me all the way here to tell me that? Heehee!" She looked at me disbelievingly. "How could you possibly think I'm joking?" I stopped laughing.

"You're serious?"

She didn't reply but instead beckoned me to follow her. We crouched in a dark corner in the cabin. "Dawn, when is your birthday?" I looked at her questioningly. "The 28th of June, why?" Asuka-san shuddered. "Just as I suspected. That's your Wedding Day," she said. My mouth gaped open. "But I'll only be eighteen!" She nodded gravely. "That's when Cyrus will get his plan in action. He didn't capture your mother for nothing." I winced. She grabbed my shoulders. "Listen carefully." I nodded.

"Cyrus found out that when the women of royal blood in the Land of Peace (平和の土地) turn eighteen, the immense power they hold within them will become active. It's not as simple as magic that you read about in storybooks. It's something like the power that allowed Arceus to create this universe. You have the power to create the 'Red Chain'. I have no idea what it does but he will force you to create it. What he really wants to do with this, I have no idea but you have to get away from here or I fear it will be the end of this world." I looked at her, shocked. "Power? Me?" She sighed. "I think you will come to realise it eventually." I took a deep breath in. "I see. But how do I escape? I have this tracking device on me." A guilty look entered her amber eyes. "You will have to remove it the moment you reach land. I'm so sorry, Dawn-chan, but there is nothing I can do about it." I felt horror. Remove the tracking device? I swallowed my fear. I couldn't risk the lives of others when they were doing so much for me. "So, what's the plan?"

Someone cleared his throat behind me. A chill ran up my spine. Had we been discovered? I turned around slowly, expecting the worst. Fortunately, my fears were short-lived. I came face-to-face with the man who had kidnapped me. Asuka-san growled. "Don't stand so close to my precious girl, you baka!" She poked his cheek with a _very_ long fingernail. With a girlish shriek, he leaped backwards. "Watch it, woman!" I raised an eyebrow. "So, he's in this with us?" Asuka-san nodded, still glaring at the man. I observed his features. He was quite handsome, with light brown hair and deep green eyes. The two of them looked like a perfect couple. I couldn't help but let a chuckle escape. Both turned to me. "What?" I shook my head, tears in my eyes, trying not to laugh too hard. With a huff, Asuka-san nodded at him. "Here's the plan," Takashi began.

"Tomorrow morning, Cyrus will issue an order to Commander Mars to dispatch some grunts, and she will follow them. By then, we will be in Sinnoh, over Xatu's forest. It's probably for one of those drills they always have. Takashi and I will drug her and help you disguise yourself as her so you can escape. Good luck."

I took it all in slowly. "How on Earth do I disguise myself? My hair is clearly blue." Asuka-san winked. "That's why I have a wig!" I grinned and hugged her. "You're the best!" Takashi suddenly hissed, "Quick, you've got to go." I heard some noise outside. I nodded and waved goodbye to Asuka-san.

As I was on my way to the room, I suddenly felt something prickle in the back of my neck. I looked around. It was Charon. He was the fourth Commander Cyrus had picked and a massive pervert for an old man. I mean it. I quickened my pace. Unfortunately for me, he caught up. This was one of those times that Saturn's presence was urgently required. The two of them got along fine, arguing every second they spent with each other. I felt his head on my butt. I suppressed a scream. "Oh so sorry," he said in his squeaky voice. "I dropped something." I couldn't run. That would show him just how much scared of him I was. "Dawn, there you are," I heard Saturn's angry tone. "I was wondering where you were." I took this as an excuse to run to him and hug him. "Sorry," I mumbled in his shirt. He stiffened. I had never done this before. I felt like, at that moment, screaming in frustration. I let go of him. Mentally, I was cursing my bad luck. I looked behind me to see Charon's thunderstruck look. Saturn smirked. "Return to your room, Dawn," he ordered me. I nodded and when I lost sight of them, I broke into a run. I heard them getting into an argument again. "Ugh, I need another shower to get rid of those foul smells," I decided. I opened the door to find Riolu tied up to the bed. "Oh dear Arceus," I cried, rushing to him. "You were that determined to follow me?" I asked him, feeling a swell of pride and happiness in my chest. "Riolu!" he leapt into my arms. I laughed out loud.

After I had a finally satisfying shower, I gave Riolu a brief explanation of what I had been told. He looked at me loyally before nodding at my request. "You have to help me pull it out, alright?" That night, we both fell into a restless sleep. All that filled my dreams was an image of me, lying in a pool of blood before a tombstone; 'R.I.P Dawn Inoue'.

I woke up, breathing hard, and drenched in perspiration. I was filled with dread as to what was going to happen in a matter of time. "Riolu, spotlight!" I whispered.

"Riolu!"

I smiled fondly. "Come on, boy, we got to get ready." He gave me a thumbs-up (that he could manage). I carried out my usual morning routine. I dressed in a simple T-shirt with a Smiley on it and a pair of old and faded jeans. Dressing in it would help me fit in Mars' armoured dress. I looked around my room. There was hardly anything of value; Except for the exquisite necklace that I had worn on my tenth birthday. It had a single diamond pendant hanging on it. I had hidden it under my bed in a tiny box. Slowly, I crawled under the bed and took the box. Carefully, I opened it. The diamond rested in the cushion, glinting in the sunlight. Wistfully, I sighed. How I wished I could see my father one more time. Pushing these thoughts away, I gingerly pulled the necklace out and clasped it around my neck. Satisfied, I made sure my room was clean before picking up Riolu's Pokéball. "Riolu! Return!" I commanded. A flash of red light enveloped him. I felt a strange feeling well up in my throat. With a start, I realised it was happiness. I could finally escape this suffocating place. But what followed after was guilt. My friend faced death if she was caught. I was left with no more time to ponder over this because I heard someone knocking frantically on the door. Cautiously, I opened it slightly, only leaving a crack for a space. It was Asuka-san. "Come on," she whispered, holding up what looked like a red wig. I nodded, accidentally letting the door close. I heard her scream of pain, "Ow! My hair!" I stifled a giggle. One of her ringlets had been caught when the door slammed. "Sorry," I apologised, not really meaning it. She rolled her eyes at me, still rubbing her head gingerly.

We sneaked around here and there. Truthfully, I don't remember half of where we went. Everywhere was a maze of identical-looking walls and doors. Finally, we came to a tiny room. Waiting there was Takashi. He was holding Mars' outfit. To my horror, I saw her lying on the floor next to him, unconscious. "What did you do?" I asked, shocked. "Don't worry,' he reassured me. "She's in the same state you were but I made the shock larger so she'll be out for hours." I felt a growing suspicion. "How did you get her clothes off?" He turned a bright shade of red. "I didn't do anything to her! She-I looked through her wardrobe. She had an extra set. I covered her up so you can't see that she still has her uniform on." Asuka-san, for once, nodded with him. "Don't worry. He might be an idiot but he's not a pervert." I fiddled with the hem of my T-shirt. My palms were sweaty. "Let's hope this works," I muttered. "Of course it will!" Asuka-san winked. "I'm so sorry," I told her. She shook her head. "No problem." She held me by the shoulders and gave me a tight hug. "No need to worry!" I told her. "I'll do everything to make sure I don't mess up our plan." She nodded and I noted that her eyes had become slightly shiny. She tide my hair in a bun and flattened it before placing the wig over my head. I cringed. "It's going to be hot." She nodded sympathetically. "Sorry." They stood guard outside the door while I changed into Mars' uniform. I hopped around a while, feeling stiff in the restricting armour. It was almost like metal. Finally, I felt prepared. I knocked on the door from inside. The two outside slowly opened it. They ushered me down another maze of corridors before we finally arrived at the mission launching pad. My mouth dropped open at how many grunts there were. Before I stepped in, Asuka-san looked me from head to toe. She nodded, satisfied. "Your blue eyes stand out, though. Well, there's nothing we can do about it." Takashi interrupted. "Actually, she can wear these goggles to cover her eyes." Genius! I grinned. "Perfect," I said, putting on the goggles he gave me. "You go, girl," the blonde-haired woman beamed. I smiled back. "Let's do this," I told myself. "Say, go! When you're ready," I hear her whisper. I nodded, without looking back.

Taking a deep breath, I walked in, confidently. The grunts continued looking forward. In my best 'Mars' voice, I commanded, "GO!" Almost immediately, a door opened on the side of the airship and three by three, the identical-looking grunts jumped off. Bracing myself, I jumped off after the last three. To my surprise, we were only about 50 centimetres above ground. I jumped. The airship rose, and once more, became invisible. The grunts had all disappeared. I acted casual, looking around me, then, dashed into a bush, err, I mean behind a bush. Frantically, I tugged off the wig and my aqua hair cascaded down my back. With much difficulty, I took off the uniform.

"Riolu, spotlight!"

I looked at the time on my watch. 11:00. "Here," I whispered, giving my Pokémon a hand knife. A feeling of dread overpowered me and I started shaking. "Cut my shoulder open and take it out." Riolu had a look of terror on its face. He stepped back a little and shook his head. I told him fiercely, "You promised!" Riolu's hand shook. I closed my eyes. An excruciating pain shot through my shoulder. Involuntarily, I looked at it. The blood was dripping down my shoulder. I felt sick. I closed by eyes forcefully. I felt like dying at that moment as pain continued to rip through my shoulder. I was at the threshold of losing consciousness. And then, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting in pain, I heard Riolu's shaky cry, "Riolu!" I opened my eyes. In his hands was a bloody metal item. "Good job, boy," I barely heard myself say. My arm looked like I had painted it red. The blood had stained my T-shirt. And then, before my eyes, Riolu began to shine, like a star, blinding me. I opened my eyes again but what was before me was becoming blur, more and more blur before I felt myself falling…_I'm dying…_Everything went black.

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Hmm…cliffhanger? I hope you guys like this 8D Can't wait to start typing the next chapter BTW, I recently got a DeviantArt account 8D Yay!


	5. Chapter 3

Uh…yeah, so I started typing this as soon as I finished Chapter 2 8D Listen to 'Stars' by T.a.T.u. It's an amazing girl duo. I think this song if perfect for Dawn and Paul 8D Imma stop rambling now. Oh, you'll be up for a surprise to find out who Ash's traveling companions are LOL XD THIS IS IMPORTANT! READ: The beginning is Normal (POV) Here goes…:

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"Listen, I don't have time to start another stupid argument with you. Just drop it." The violet-haired boy glared at the equally angry-looking raven-haired boy. "He's not worth it," an orange-haired girl walked up to his side. "Yeah," another girl walked up next to her. "Forget it, Ash." The boy ignored them. "I say, let's battle! You can't back out now, Paul!" The boy called Paul grunted. "You blackmail me like that all the time, but fine." Ash grinned. "Yeah!" He shouted, pumping a fist in the air. Paul rolled his eyes.

The orange-haired girl, who was named Misty, started complaining to the other girl, a brunette. "See, May, he's always like that."

A green-haired boy shook his head a little bit further behind.

"It always ends up like this, doesn't it, Drew?" a brunette boy asked him.

"Talk about it," Leaf muttered, next to them. "I'm starting to think that's the only time you agree with me," the brown-haired boy commented.

"Oh, shut up Gary!" she screeched.

Meanwhile, Ash was still talking to Paul. "Well then, bring it-" he was cut off.

"Is that?" he heard a gasp from Misty.

Everyone looked to their left; for heading from the Bewilder Forest was a Lucario running towards them at full speed. "Looks like it's heading towards Ash," Leaf commented. Indeed, the frantic- looking Pokémon landed at Ash's feet. "Lucario," it growled. "Lucario."

May frowned. "Since when did Lucario live in Bewilder Forest?"

The Pokémon's calls were getting more frantic now. That was when Misty exclaimed, "Look, there's blood on its paw!" All of them, including Paul, started. "Looks like human blood," Drew said. "Lucario," the Pokémon growled one more time, turning towards the forest. "What's it saying?" Ash scratched his head. Paul snorted. "Pathetic! It's obvious it wants you idiots to follow it!" Misty opened her mouth to yell back at him but the others were already running after the Lucario. She huffed at him before following suit. Paul silently walked after them when they were long gone into the forest.

As Ash ran, huffing and puffing, he looked around almost fearfully. "I still remember when Paul and I fell into the forest when we were twelve and those Stantler used their moves on me. Ugh!" Drew snickered. "So, you knew him even when you were twelve? You've been bickering for eight years straight." The group burst out laughing at his predicament despite the fact that they were running. They came to a sudden stop. Lucario was standing in front of a bush. Leaf turned green. The leaves were covered with blood and a pool of blood had seeped around it. May gave a scream, pointing at a pair of feet sticking out from behind it.

"Looks like a murder scene," Gary murmured.

They watched as Lucario walked around the bush and bent down, hiding him from their view partially. Gulping, Ash followed suit, tiptoeing. The other five watched his expression change. "Oh my Arceus!" he yelled loudly, startling a bunch of Starly perched on the branch above him. "What?" Misty whispered, cautiously stepping behind him. Her eyes widened. The others crowded around the pair.

"Is she dead?" May ventured.

Lying before them was the most beautiful being they had ever seen. Hey eyes were closed but they were relieved to see her shallow breathing. Her long blue hair was stretched out around her, like a semicircle. Her arm was in a dreadful state. One could see the deep wound in it, almost disgusting.

"She's got to get emergency treatment, you idiots! Can't you see she's lost a lot of blood? Stop standing there gawking!" they heard a new voice.

Paul was giving them a withering glance. "Right!" Misty said, taking charge. "Hey, where's Lucario?" Gary suddenly asked. Everyone looked around. It had disappeared. Suddenly, they heard a loud pounding sound. "Holy shit! It's an Ursaring!" May screamed. Ash turned pale. "Oh no." Lead noticed something, "Isn't that Lucario next to it?"

"You're right," Misty agreed, looking stunned.

Their mouth dropped open as the Ursaring slowly marched towards the bush. They backed away as the bear-like Pokémon gently lifted the bleeding blue-haired girl in its arms, cradling her. "Uh," Drew said. "Let's get them to the Pokémon Center," Misty said. The rest nodded. The Ursaring sped with them, excluding Paul, to the nearest Pokémon Center.

It had been three days since Ash and the gang has rescued the mysterious girl. The Ursaring had left some time after delivering the girl.

How's her condition, Nurse Joy?" May asked the petite pink-haired lady in the nurse uniform.

She smiled. "She looks like she'll wake up soon. I've only healed Pokémon before but I think I managed to help her recover sufficiently to regain consciousness." The six of them stood up, relieved, and headed to the girl's room. They watched from outside, through the glass windows. Sure enough, a few minutes later, her eyes slowly fluttered open. Their mouths dropped open. Her eyes were a startling sky-blue. "Wow," May commented. The girl uttered a groan. Panic suddenly clouded over eyes. "Lu? Lu? Where are you?" they heard her muffled shout. Before they even had time to respond, the Lucario rushed into the room. The girl stared at the Pokémon for a while, a look of shock on her face. "Lucario!" Suddenly, she laughed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Oh, Lu, you evolved. You evolved because you were happy, right?" The Pokémon nodded eagerly. The six of them slowly filed in. A puzzled look appeared on her face.

"I'm Ash and this is Misty, May, Lead, Drew and Gary. We and an Ursaring helped you when you were in the forest."

She smiled at them. She looked like an angel. "Domo arigato.[1]" Ash offered his hand, saying it had been no problem. She shook it. "Say," Misty interrupted, feeling a tad bit jealous, "how did you get injured?" The girl, who was now sitting up on the bed, looked down, causing her blue hair to cover her face, like a curtain. "I'd rather not talk about it," she said. Her tone had changed, to something almost, _dark_. "Sure," Misty said, although this made all of them more curious. "Anyway," the girl said, looking up and smiling. "My name is Dawn. Dawn Inoue." Her smile was infectious. Before long, they were all talking and chatting with one another, almost like they had known her for years. About an hour later, Nurse Joy interrupted their conversation.

"You guys should let her rest now."

Reluctantly, they parted, but not before forcing her to promise to join their team when she was well enough to travel. The next day, when the three girls went to visit Dawn, she was already up. "Here," Misty said, presenting Dawn with a mini dress. "Like it?" May asked. Dawn literally bounced up and down in excitement, despite her bandaged arm. "Thanks, you guys, you're already like sisters." They waited until she changed into the outfit in the small toilet. They beamed as she came out and twirled for them. The outfit was mostly black, with a white undershirt inside the V-shaped neck with a pink short skirt. On her feet, she wore pink knee-high boots with black socks underneath. Her hair was down to her waist, as usual, except for gold hair clips that held up her hair in front. "I love it!" she exclaimed. Even her Lucario was nodding in approval at her. "Actually," she said. "You guys look great in your outfits too." The others grinned. Misty was in a yellow crop top and short jean shorts held up with red suspenders. Her entire midriff was revealed. She wore red and white sneakers with it. Her fiery orange hair was tied up in a small side ponytail. May had a green bandanna, a red orange sleeveless T-shirt with a black collar, black bike shorts, black socks, and red and white sneakers. Leaf was wearing a vest-like top with a collar, light blue, a pleated red-pink pleated skirt, loose grey socks and red and white sneakers. She was wearing a white hat with a red Pokéball imprinted on it. Her shoulder-length light brown hair was down. "Actually," Dawn said, shyly. "Tomorrow's my birthday." The three girls stared at her for a few seconds before chatting excitedly.

"You need a party," Misty said.

"And a huge cake," May suggested.

"With lots and lots of chocolate!" Leaf squealed.

"Fat chance," Misty and May replied in unison, emotionlessly.

Leaf's lower lip trembled. "How mean!"

Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Why?" Misty and May spoke, as if they had memorised a speech. "You should see her when she eats chocolate," May started. "She gets so hyper that she will sing her own name." Misty completed. Leaf pouted. "I only did it thrice!" Dawn giggled. "It's alright. I can't delay you guys on your journeys any longer. I just want to accompany you." The other three smiled, glad they had found a good friend. "So, when did you guys get together? Have you been travelling together for long?"

"Actually, only three years," May said. "I'm twenty, May is nineteen and Leaf is eighteen." Dawn looked curious. "What about the boys?"

"Let's see," Leaf said. "Ash is the same age as Misty, May is the same as Drew and Gary is twenty." Dawn nodded. "Ash and Misty were travelling partners with Brock when they were twelve but Misty had to take over as the Cerulean City Gym leader when her sisters went on a World Tour." Dawn questioned, "Who's Brock?"

"Oh, him," May replied. "He's probably twenty-eight or around that right now. He was always trying hit on any beautiful woman he met. But he was always sensible and like an older brother. He finally settled down with Pike Queen Lucy of the Battle Frontier a few years ago."

"Ah," Dawn said.

"I used to travel with Brock, Max, my brother, and Ash when he was thirteen but I left them at the end of that year to pursue my co-ordinator dreams. I met Drew after that. "

"I," began Leaf. "have been travelling with the idiotic and arrogant Gary since we were ten. His grandfather is Professor Oak, so that's how I met him. The two of us met Ash and all the others at this Pokémon Convention. So, five years after that, we began travelling with Ash and the others. It was fun, having girls to spend time with."

"Wow, you guys must be real close," Dawn commented, looking wistful.

The three girls grinned at their new friend. "You'll soon be part of our team, so don't look so gloomy." Dawn grinned. "Where is your family, by the way?" Misty asked. Dawn turned a little pale. "I-My-my Mom's dead. And my father, I don't know where he is," she whispered, bowing her head. The others looked at her, shocked. They included her in a group hug.

"Come on, I'm sure the guys are waiting," Misty said, cheerfully, heading towards the door. Nodding, Dawn returned Lucario to his Pokéball and followed them outside.

(Dawn's POV)

Indeed, the boys were already waiting outside the Pokémon Center. But as I stepped out behind the girls, I saw a person who hadn't been introduced to me. He was a tall guy, with purple-coloured hair. His skin was tanned and I could the muscles rippling under the tight black shirt he was wearing, partly covered by a purple jacket. He was _hot._ I tapped Misty's arm. "Who's he?" She didn't reply, instead walking up to Ash hurriedly. Ash was arguing with the guy. He looked like he was the same age as Ash. "Don't you dare," she hissed to Ash.

"That's Paul," Leaf answered for me. "Ash's arch-enemy in both battle and life." May nodded. "They've been like this since they were both twelve because that's when they met."

I was puzzled. "Why?"

"Because of the horrifying way he treats his Pokémon," a new voice answered for me. I turned around to see Drew. Apparently, he had been listening to our conversation. "You pervert!" May shouted in his ear. "How does answering her question make me a pervert?" he asked smoothly.

"You're too freaking close to her!"

I giggled, watching them. "What?" they asked at the same time.

"Nothing, you just remind me of my friend and the guy she likes."

"I don't like him!"

"Who'd like her?"

They replied at the same time. Leaf and I laughed. Leaf and I left the two behind, screaming at each other and walked up to where Misty, Gary, Ash and the guy named Paul were.

"Let's go on with the battle!" Ash was saying.

"Fine," was Paul's reply.

"But, if you lose, you have to travel with us." Paul's emotionless face changed into one of horror. "No!" Ash smirked. "Chicken." Paul's coal-black eyes literally burned with rage. "FINE!" he spat. Ash grinned, before literally jumping for joy. "Oh, oh, can I be the referee, then?" I asked. Both of them turned to look at me. I blushed. "Oh, hey, Dawn, are you feeling better?" I nodded.

"Hi, Paul, I'm Dawn," I grinned, holding out my hand to Paul. He looked at it, grunted and turned to face Ash. I stared at him in disbelief. My eye twitched. "Don't bother," Misty whispered in my ear, dragging me back. "What an ass!" I spat in disbelief. May snorted. "Not only does he treat his Pokémon like he's abusing them, he's anti-social as well." I pouted. "Well, I take it upon myself to become his friend!" The girls started snickering at me. "Hey!" I shouted. "How funny," Misty gasped, clutching her stomach. "Hmph!" was all I could exclaim. About fifteen minutes later, I was standing at the edge of a field while the two opponents called out their Pokémon.

"Torterra, stand by for battle!"

"Charizard, I choose you!"

My mouth dropped open. Ash definitely had the upper hand. Torterra was weak to fire-types and Charizard was unaffected by Ground types. Also, Charizard was resistant against Grass types. Still, I couldn't underestimate Paul's strength.

"Torterra, use Razor Leaf!"

"Charizard, dodge and use Ember!"

Torterra took a direct hit, getting slightly burnt. Paul remained expressionless. "Use Earthquake!"

Charizard wobbled and landed on the ground. "Charizard, use Wing Attack!"

As the fire-type flew over to Torterra, Paul shouted, "Light Screen!" A twinkling wall of lights blocked the attack and Torterra took no damage.

"All right then, Charizard, use Dragon rage!"

Torterra was hit directly and fell to the ground. However, it stood up with much effort, though bruised. I was impressed. "Torterra, Bite!"

The grass-type lumbered forward. "Charizard, dodge and use Flamethrower!"

Torterra missed his target. "Torterra, Withdraw!" To my amazement, Torterra withdrew into its shell and was unaffected by Charizard's move.

"All right, Charizard, let's finish this up with Flare Blitz!"

The six of us stared open-mouthed, as Charizard cloaked itself in fire and charged at Torterra.

"Dodge!"

But Torterra was too slow. Charizard hit it head-on. The grass-type wobbled unsteadily, before crashing to the ground.

A stunned few seconds later, I managed to shout out, "Torterra is unable to battle and Charizard is the winner and so victory goes to Ash Ketchum!"

I distinctly heard Paul say coldly before returning his Pokémon, "I thought you'd do better than this." Ash's reaction was much more different. "Good job, buddy!" he grinned, hugging his Pokémon. "Epic," May breathed next to me. I was so startled I nearly fell over. "But you do know that that means Paul's going to be traveling with us, right?" May's face darkened. "That's not epic," Leaf agreed, appearing on my left side. As I looked at my friends, grinning, for the first time in a very long time, I felt _real, _like I finally belonged somewhere. I had almost forgotten about Team Galactic. I suppose they had had found out I was missing. "Hey," Misty waved her hand in front of my face. "Dawn to Earth. Earth to Dawn. " I smiled. "Just thinking." My shoulder started throbbing. We walked up to the boys.

"You have to travel with us now," Ash was telling Paul. "I know, so shut up," he muttered. I felt something vibrating in my pocket. I took out Lucario's Pokéball. "Oh my Arceus, Lucario, I'm so terribly sorry," I gasped, letting him out. "Lucario," he grumbled. "But still," I told him. "I wanted to be a co-ordinator, remember?" He nodded sullenly, still upset at not being able to see the battle. "Look here, I'll make poffins," I assured him. "Did I hear poffins?" Leaf squealed. I nodded. "Well, does everyone's Pokémon want poffins?" I asked loudly. "Firstly, are you good at it?" Gary asked. I glared at him. "Why don't you ask Lucario?" Lucario grinned (in his own way). "Okay," Gary said uncertainly. "Well, if six of you have Poffin Cases, I can make all six types and also let you guys store them," I said cheerily. All those years of cooking _did _come in handy sometimes. The original six (excluding Paul and me), all produced Poffin Cases from their bags. I rubbed my hands almost gleefully. They set up a tent for me and gave me all the berries I needed. "One condition," I told them. "From now onwards, none of you can enter this tent." They grumbled, with the exception of Paul, and I began working. About two hours later, I emerged from the tent, hot, sweaty, and exhausted but happy and successful. Lucario had tasted each type and given me a thumbs up. I slowly brought out the six big bowls.

The others stared in awe at the different-coloured poffins. "Ok," I announced proudly. "The green bowl is bitter, red is spicy, pink is sweet, blue is dry, yellow is sour and the beige-coloured bowl contains mild poffins." Silence.

"All right!" Misty started clapping. I turned red. "Come on, guys!" she said, calling out her Pokémon. The others and I watched as they slowly sampled the different types. Before long, they were making sounds of contentment. Now satisfied, the others let their Pokémon out. Paul, being 'anti-social' remained at his position, stubbornly not letting his Pokémon out. "Right," I breathed in. "Time to make a new friend." I marched up to him. "Come on, let your Pokémon out." He stared at me. I blinked. "What?" He raised an eyebrow.

"What's your name again?"

My eye twitched yet again but I held my temper. "As I said, my name is Dawn," I managed through gritted teeth. "Do you have a short term memory?" Paul eyed me. "I throw away useless information." I nearly lost it. I managed a thin smile. I noticed something glinting in his pocket. "Hey, what's that?" I snatched it out of his pocket. "Oi!" he yelled. As I took a closer look at it, I suddenly felt the world around me spinning. It was the tracking device. I felt sick, reliving the moment a few days ago.

"Where did you get this?" I croaked.

Paul raised an eyebrow. "In the Bewilder Forest, why?"

But it had been bloody, I remembered. "Where exactly in the forest did you find it?" Paul looked at me quizzically. "Near a bush, all shiny but smelling terrible."

The Pokéball in my pocket began to vibrate. Lucario let himself out, arriving in a red flash. My hands began to tremble. "Oh no," was all I could whisper. My throat had gone dry. "Dawn, you okay? Did Paul do something to you?" May asked. I shook my head. _Galactic. They could already be on Paul's trail and…and find me here._ A tiny, involuntary scream escaped from my mouth. Paul and everyone were looking at me strangely.

"Lucario!"

Lucario snatched the tracking device from my open palm and threw it onto the ground. To my shock, he used 'Metal Claw' on it, breaking the Tracking Device into tiny bits and pieces. I fell on my knees. The shock that they could be on my trail, to be specific, Paul's was too much. Paul was frowning at me while the girls gathered around me, looking concerned. "Dawn, what's wrong?" I couldn't respond. I shook my head. "I have this terrible headache," I managed to whisper, "And my arm hurts." May looked at me sympathetically. "You poor thing, you tired yourself out. Go get some rest in the Girls' Tent," she told. Misty and the others nodded in agreement, with the exception of you-know-who.

As I lay in the tent, my arm really throbbing, I was in a dilemma. "What should I do, Lu? Should I leave them?" Lucario was looking at me with a similar expression on his face. I fell into a troubled nap later, going to the extent of having a nightmare about the other seven being brutally tortured by Galactic grunts.

I was woken with the afternoon sun shining brightly in my face. Leaf was standing in the opening of the tent with a scandalised look on her face. "Um, Leaf, what's wrong?" May and Misty joined her with similar expressions on their faces. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"You never told us you had a fiancée!" Misty exclaimed. I gawked at her. "Fiancée?" I asked, still dazed from being woken up so suddenly. "Come here," May said, pulling me up gently. They dragged me out and I shaded my eyes. I squinted, trying to make out the figure. With a start, I realised who it was.

"Hello Dawn," Saturn smirked.

* * *

Yayys! I finally completed this chapter after working on it for hours…*Wipes forehead* Hope you guys like this one! 8D

[1] Domo arigato: Thank you very much in Japanese

BTW, that was the LONGEST chapter I've written so far and I'm proud 8D


	6. AN 2

**A/N: Hey you guys. You'll probably be scared now that I have another Annoucement. Don't worry. I'll be updating as soon as possible cause I'm not using my laptop at the time. I went on vacation from the 7th to the 20th and I'm staying at my friend's house cause mine's been renovated XD Yay, my results were great! I got into the top girls' school Wheeeee 8D So, I'm studying from time to time now. I'm also working on my Barbie fanfic and my docs for this story aren't on this com so you'll have to wait for some time guys. I'm so sorry :'(**

**Love,  
Cecilia Beth**

**P.S. Thanks to my new reviewers. 8D **


	7. Chapter 4

First of all, before starting, I would like to thank all of my reviewers for giving me feedback and encouragenment and supporting me throughtout :  
**Charityx, Sapphiet, alexanimelvr, azngirlhere, Palkia's Princess,** Thunderstrike (*)**, xXNaruMayoiXx, **Wolfblaze (*)**, Shiningheart of Thunderclan, **Moon (*)**, Blair Chance **and** advanceshippergirl91. **Also thanks to all those who added me as Favourite Author, Favourite Story, Story Alert and Author Alert 8D I feel so honoured 8D (*) - Not registered user :'( Anyway, 8D, I'm typing this at my friend' house. I am so busy again... *Sigh* NMV, here goes 8D I encountered a writer's block XD

P.S. By the way, xXNaruMayoiXx-chan and Sapphiet-chan, HBF, will drop around soon ;)

* * *

Silence fell around the camp as Dawn continued to blink disbelievingly at the blue-haired man.

"Would you mind having a talk?"

Dawn nodded wordlessly and walked towards Saturn, almost in a trance-like state. "Lucario!" Her Pokémon's growl stopped her. As she looked at him, her glazed eyes cleared and they were a cerulean blue again. As if realizing what she was doing, she gasped. "No," she whispered forcefully. "I see," he smiled. "I suppose everything is _safe_ to refuse." Catching the true meaning behind his words, she clenched her fists. "Fine," she growled and walked out with him.

The others continued to stare in a stunned silence. "Well," Ash said, breaking the silence. "That sure didn't seem loving." Misty pursed her lips, as if she was thinking about something long and hard. "Something's wrong." Suddenly, she cried out. Everyone turned to her in shock. "What is it?" May asked.

"What if it was that guy who hurt Dawn and he's secretly abusing her?"

"Hmm, that seems possible," Leaf nodded.

The boys were gaping at them. "What?" they asked as they caught the expressions on the boys' faces. "How do you come to a conclusion so fast?" Drew asked, scratching his head. "Because Grass-head," May snorted, "Girls are so much smarter than guys!" Paul watched them uninterestedly. "So do you intend to stand there bickering?" The other six looked at him in surprise. He would have rarely bothered in such a situation. "He has a point," Misty added reluctantly. "It's decided!"

"What's decided?" Ash asked fearfully.

Misty turned to him with her eyes glinting. Ash felt goosebumps rise from his feet to his hair. "Heh," he laughed dryly. "Paul and Ash will go and check upon them!" Paul rolled his eyes. Misty's nostrils flared. May and Leaf sweatdropped. "You," Misty growled, "lost the bet and as such, have to help out when needed!" Paul remained expressionless. "Gah!" Misty screeched, "I'll make sure your freaky, sadistic, fangirls find you!" His expression immediately changed. "Damn you!" he hissed but stood up reluctantly. Ash punched Paul on the shoulder. "Let's go!" Paul glared at Ash. "Watch it, Pathetic." Ash ignored this insult and started a one-sided conversation, as he walked off with Paul. "Oh," Misty sighed. "It's better to let the boys go there. They're the stronger ones, I have to admit."

Leaf grinned innocently. "Aren't you sad? I mean, Ash is going to save Dawn."

Misty flushed a bright red. "Why would I care?"

Everyone snickered, including the remaining two guys. And stopped. Misty's mallet had appeared again.

Meanwhile, with our 'couple' (Dawn's POV)

"So you thought you could escape, did you?" Saturn asked as he tilted my chin, him other hand pushing me back against the wall. "I'll come back," I said hoarsely. "Just don't hurt them. Please." He laughed. "Made bonds. Typical Dawn." I tried my best not to spit at him. I felt Lucario's Pokéball vibrating in my pocket. I stared at Saturn's blue eyes, twinkling with triumph. "How do I know I should trust you?" he whispered in my ear, his hand dropping to my thigh. I squirmed. "I'm not going to endager and more lives!" I hissed. "I see," he said grimly. He leaned in. I forced my eyes to close, waiting for my first kiss to be stolen by the man I hated the most in the world. I heard a loud thud, and cautiously opened eyes, one by one.

Saturn was lying at my feet in a crumpled heap. I looked up, to find myself staring at dark, black orbs. I felt a tiny blush rising up in my cheeks. "Gosh," Ash interrupted, jumping in between Paul and me. "Say, Dawn, was it necessary for us to knock him out?" I nodded, relieved. "Thanks," I giggled. "You saved me." I heard a sudden rustling in the bushes. With a horrified gasp, I realised that Saturn must have placed Galactic grunts to watch us. "We have to get out of here, fast," I yelled.

"Lucario, spotlight! Use Protect!" Lucario obeyed my commands. "Come on." We ran towards the camp. Lucario knew my unsaid command. He would follow us later. We arrived at the camp, breathless, well, me, actually. "Now, why did we run," Ash asked. My eyebrow twitched again. Sometimes, his mouth was too big for his own good. "Dawn," the girls rushed to me.

"Are you all right?" Misty asked, "Did he do something to you?" I smiled. "I'm fine, thanks to the guys," I said, looking for a moment at Paul. I felt my cheeks flush slightly again. Misty's smile slightly faltered. "That's good," May said, grinning at me. Leaf patted my back. Lucario ran up to me a few minutes later. "Lu, lucario, lucario!" I didn't exactly understand but I sensed the urgency in his voice. "It's better if we move from here real quick," I murmured, "before they catch me."

"All right, then, let's get moving," Ash smiled goofily. I returned his smile. Again, I noticed Misty look a bit upset. _Could it be that Misty likes Ash? _I suddenly started to laugh hysterically. Everyone looked at me like I was nuts. "Hee," I snickered as I walked over to Leaf. "Does Misty like Ash?" I whispered. "YUP!" May screeched in my ear. I winced, rubbing my poor ear. I continued to snicker, even as we packed up. Misty was looking at me suspiciously. I winked at her. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you all right Dawn?" I snorted and nearly choked. "I'm fine," I managed weakly.

(Normal POV)

The carrot-top noticed that when Dawn said that it was thanks to the guys, she had looked in Ash's direction. In truth, she had misunderstood for Dawn had been looking at Paul, who had been _behind_ Ash. And when Ash had willingly agreed to move immediately after Dawn's statement, Misty had felt jealous. A misunderstanding that had caused her to think that Dawn and Ash liked each other. "No matter," she told herself fiercely. "Who cares?" Dawn suddenly appeared next to her.

"Say, Misty, why is Paul so cold?"

Misty shrugged. "I think it' something to do with his brother losing or something." Dawn nodded thoughtfully. "Wait a moment," Misty said.

"Why are you so interested in Paul?" Dawn turned a bright red. "I told you I want to be his friend."

"Or maybe girlfrend," a new voice snickered next to them. Dawn backed away from May, suttering, "Oh, p-please." Leaf giggled and threw her arm around Dawn's shoulder. "We'll see won't we?" Dawn mumbled incoherently and walked away, staring at the ground. She started to lift a heavy bag but the pain from her injured arm made her drop it. A few Pokéballs rolled out. She read the nametag. 'Paul'. She felt a bead of sweat roll from her forehead. "Move," she heard a cold voice. She turned to look at Paul, glaring at her. "Um, I-I'm sorry. It was an accident," she smiled nervously.

"I asked you to move, Troublesome."

A volcano exploded behind her. "Well, exuse me Your Rudeness, my name's Dawn! D-A-W-N. And I was only apologising!" There was a murderous look in her eyes.

"Calm down," May whispered, dragging her back, as the furious bluenette struggled to escape, her feet kicking furiously. Paul ignored them and bent down to pick up his Pokéballs and placed them back in the bag. Dawn's foot was so close she nearly clouted his head.

"Let me go!" she screamed, "I need to kill him!"

Leaf had to help in holding back Dawn. Misty slapped her forehead from a distance. When they were finally ready to move on, Paul could feel a burning gaze in his back. Groaning, he wondered how he had gotten himself into this mess. He turned around to find the Troublesome girl staring at him from a distance, her eyes filled with fury. "Look here Troublesome," he sighed, as he walked up to the girl. "If you think that's intimidating, you're just wasting your time." She suddenly smiled sweetly. "Then let's be friends, OK, Paulie?" She held out her hand. He kept his hand in its rightful place. Anyone could sense the poison in her expression.

"Paulie?" he gritted his teeth.

The other six members of the group stopped their activities and stared at Paul and Dawn. "If you be my friend, I won't call you that anymore, though." Cautiously, he, thinking that, it would be something like the stupid bet, and finding it unable to refuse the puppy look in her eyes, gave her his hand to shake. What happened in the next few seconds shocked him. In a flash, Dawn grabbed his hand and bit it-hard.

"Aaaahhh!"

The onlookers soon found themselves laughing like crazy.

"What the hell?" Paul shouted when Dawn finally let go, rubbing his aching hand. Dawn gave him a venomous look. "You don't mess with me, Paulie boy." Paul's mind was working furiously. He would get his revenge soon...

A Few Hours Later

Paul walked alongside the group, as the girls were whispering and giggling among themselves. "We'll have to catch the ferry to Sinnoh soon," Ash said, breaking up the separate conversations. Paul was still plotting, not that anyone noticed, except Dawn. "Wow," she squealed, emitting surprised stares from everyone. "You've never been to Sinnoh?" Gary asked. "Well, I have, but not on foot," she said. And everyone back to their separate conversations, until they reached the ferry departing location. They boarded, Dawn being the most excited, hopping around. The rest of the gang were slightly more nervous, being popular celebrities (trainers and co-ordinators) in the Pokémon world. Just the thought of fans scared them.

(Dawn's POV)

I had never been on a ferry. Seeing the expanse of blue water which seemed to stretch out for miles, I nearly lost my breath. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" May breathed next to me. I nodded, unable to express what I was feeling. "Lucario, spotlight!" My Pokémon, too, stared at the ocean, speechless and stunned. Freedom. For now, that is. As I turned around, I bumped into someone, hard. That person and I both fell. I expected a hard landing, but, instead felt something, soft. I looked down and realised that I had fallen on the person. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry," I gasped, helping the person. "Hey!" he shouted, "I have to fine you a million for that!" I blinked at looked at the person again. His fluffy hair was blonde and his eyes were amber.

"Jun?"

His eyes widened _as_ he slowly recognised me.

"Hikari!" he cried juiblantly, lifting me up and twirling around. I giggled, my hair flying around. He set me down and I hugged him tightly. "I never thought I'd see you again!"

"Hee-curry?" someone asked incredulously next to me. "June?"

Jun and I both turned to face the rest of the gang, looking very confused.

"You know _her_?" Ash asked, runing a hand through his messy hair.

"You know _him_?" I gaped.

Before anyone of us could reply, I saw Jun staring at Paul, open-mouthed. "Plum-head!" he cried happily, "You're finally travelling with them!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, _you _know _Paul_?"

"Well, Palmer and I _did _leave The La-" I cut him off, covering his mouth. "Watch it!" I growled. He looked apologetically. "Well, is he your real fiancé or something?" Misty asked curiously. Jun and I looked at each other for a split second before rolling on the floor laughing. "Oh," I said, wiping a tear. "Him? Nah, he's like a brother to me." The others, apart from Paul, looked completely unconvinced.

"How come you never told us you knew Dawn?" Drew asked. "Well, it's complicated," Jun muttered. "Say, Barry," May interrupted. I looked at him questioningly. "Barry?" He nodded and whispered, "It's my name, like yours is Dawn." I finally understood. "Oh." We caught up with each other, all of us, and Barry said he was travelling past Sinnoh.

"Paul, will you battle me?"

I stared at him in disbelief. "Why on Earth would you want to battle that arrogant jerk?"

Barry raised an eyebrow. "I'm his biggest fan!" he declared. We all did spit-takes of our juices, except, *sigh*, you-know-who. "Yikes," I commented, edging a little away from him. "But," he said gravely in my ear, "will you be alright from Galactic?" I bowed my head. "It's my mission now," I told him. "I have to stop him, whatever he's doing." Barry nodded and patted my head, "That's my girl!" I glared at him. "Don't do that! Be happy I don't fine you!" Barry laughed so much that he choked.

"Serves you right," I grumbled.

(Normal POV)

The others were startled by the familiarity between Barry and Dawn. Even Paul, who hid it well. Normally, if Dawn hadn't been there, he would have been pestering Paul for autographs, souvenirs and battles. Paul, subconsciously felt a tiny spark in his chest. Annoyance, he told himself, as he watched the two of them fool around. "Why am I even thinking about this?" he mumbled. He would usually have been thinking about new battle strategies. "Stupid girl," he grumbled. His hand ached with the remembrance of her teeth.

Normally, he wouldn't think of it, but he had a brilliant idea for revenge. It _was_ low in his usual standards, but this was about Troublesome. He smirked.

(Dawn's POV)

I left Lucario with the others to enjoy himself a few hours later to watch the sunset. Suddenly, I felt warm breath on my neck. "I like your style," I heard someone whisper in my ear, in a low and husky voice. I felt a shiver go down my spine. I slowly turned, expecting to find a pervert. Instead, it was_ Paul_. Yup, hard to believe but it was Paul. The area we were in was abandoned. I felt my heart start to thump painfully. I blinked, feeling colour rise to my cheeks. "I-I'm sorry," I asked. Paul leaned in, his eyes closed. _OH MY ARCECUS _my mind was screaming. Was he going to _kiss _me? His lips were nearly touching mine. I closed my eyes...

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Hahaha...I loved writing this chapter :P So, *laughs hysterically* what do you think? I let the words flow and before I knew it, here I am 8D :3 Review people!

Barry: HA HA  
Me: Shut up! You debut in the freaking 4th chapter...  
Barry: Whatever!  
Me: ...  
Barry: *Time to run*


	8. AN 3

**Author's Announcement**

YES I KNOW…It's ANOTHER ANNOUCEMENT…But guys, I'm so sorry XD This time I have a superb, uhm, reason. The first week (3rd to 7th), we had Orientation Week which was ca-razy! I luv how the girls cheer. We sound like a boys' school. Ha! Anyway, XD, I've reached home around 3, 5, 4 and so on and since I'm in a better school, I will be so busy. Tomorrow, I'm having a CCA interview and one AWESOME fact: We all have (Years Ones) to purchase Macbook Pro or Air! WOOOHOOO! And we have to take it to school every day, for every lesson. And our English teacher's AMERICAN…Hip hip hurray! Anyway, now that school had started, I highly doubt I can update regularly. I'm typing this secretly *Shot* My mom would kill me if she found out :'( Seriously, I loved the ending of the chapter as well and I just remembered…TODAY'S MY BIRTHDAY! Guess my age and I'll give you a jar of the most delicious virtual cookies in the world :P Heh… So, for now,

Anyong!

Love,  
Cecilia


	9. Chapter 5

Oh my gosh…I got ten new reviews. Thanks so much, you guys. Today's Sunday, and I still gotta study XD XD XD. Thanks so much for the feedback and I'll try to improve on my spacing problem. This might be short 'cause I'm typing this secretly…*Sigh* So, let me ask you something. If I tell you guys my age, will you judge me based on that? Nevermind, :P, I'll tell you. I'm thirteen this year. Yeah, so I was pretty much underage last year XD Anyway, on with the story! YAAY! Anyone watched Inuyasha? I'm obsessed with it LOL

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Dawn simply didn't understand how it had happened. The next thing she knew was that she was lying on the ground, watching as Paul smirked at her and walked away, hands in his pockets. And then it hit her. Her cheeks turned a bright red and she had to suppress the urge to scream in frustration. _That_ had been his revenge. He had teased her. Used her feelings, probably feelings he didn't know she had. A murderous rage took over her; one could easily sense the aura a mile away. As she stared at the retreating figure, her nostrils flared.

"I'll get back, you wait and see…"

Lucario, sensing his owner's discontent, from such a distance, dashed past Paul and to Dawn's side. Dawn was still on the ground. "Lucario," he growled, helping her up.

"No, boy, we aren't gonna kill him yet. But soon," Dawn smiled evilly. One would have seen the Lucario sweat drop.

Everyone was socializing back where Dawn and Paul had left and none of them failed to notice either one's absence until they returned separately. Paul had a smug look and went back to his original seat. Dawn followed a few minutes later and everyone fell silent, as they caught the fury in her eyes. "Uh, Dawn," Misty interrupted nervously, "What would you like to have for your birthday tomorrow?" The bluenette's eyes cleared.

"Oh my gosh, I totally forgot!" she gasped.

The others slowly relaxed. As Dawn pondered over this, what her friend had said on the airship came to mind. Her abilities would become available to her tomorrow. Pushing this thought away, knowing that it would bring back memories, she focused on what she really needed.

"I just want to be with all of you," she smiled. Her eyes were twinkling with sincerity, under the bright lights on the deck. Leaf, being a little more emotional than the rest, emitted a squeal and gave Dawn a death hug. "You're so kawaii!" Everyone found themselves grinning. Except Paul, of course. "Well, we should be off to sleep in our bunks now," Drew concluded. The rest nodded in agreement. The girls and boys separated. The three girls made Dawn sleep on the top bunk so that she could 'sleep well'. Sighing in defeat, she gave in.

In the morning (Dawn's POV)

I rubbed my eyes as I woke up, shading them from the bright sunlight. I looked around me and below; nobody was on the room. I took my watch from under the pillow. It was 9.00a.m. Realising that the others had let me sleep more, I carefully climbed down the ladder and brushed my teeth in the bathroom hurriedly. I nearly fainted looking at the state of my hair. I called for Lucario in my Pokéball and he helped me adjust. Finally, feeling that I was presentable, I wore my travelling outfit and stumbled onto the deck. I blinked. There was nobody. I suddenly felt a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. Where was everybody? _Abducted. Tortured. Killed. _were the first words that entered my mind. I was startled when all of a sudden, streamers shot into the air and my friends filled the deck, grinning madly.

"Tanjoubi Omedetou! [1]"

I was struck speechless. "You guys!" I giggled madly and the girls rushed to embrace me. "Welcome to the club!" I was about to say something when Lucario came up next to me.

"Happy Birthday, Your Highness."

I winced and felt all the colour drain from my face. I swear I must have jumped a foot in the air. "You," I shrieked, pointing at my Pokémon. "Why do you speak?" Lucario was looking at me like I was nuts. Ash's faithful Pikachu walked up to me and tapped my foot.

"You okay, lady?"

My eye started to twitch frantically. I stepped away from the Pokémon. "You," I whispered hoarsely. "Why are you all talking? Is this some kind of twisted nightmare?" The rest of the gang now were looking at me like I fell from the sky.

"Uh, Dawn, are you sure you aren't high or something?" Leaf asked, checking my forehead. "But-you-can't you hear what they said?" I stammered. "Wouldn't it be better to throw her into the sea?" Drew asked, followed by a number of knocks to his head. Lucario walked up to me, an intelligent look in his eyes. "What?" I asked, almost fearfully.

"If what Asuka-sama said is true, then, perhaps, one of your abilities includes understanding Pokémon. "

I sat on the wooden deck for a while, clutching my head. "Oh Arceus, why torture me like this?" My shoulders sagged. Sighing, I stood up. I put a smile back on my face. "I think I was being delusional guys," I laughed nervously. "Happens to me a lot." The others looked visibly relieved, with a twinge of suspicion.

"Anyway," Leaf shrieked, high enough to burst a person's eardrums. "We made this hu-" Before she could continue, May stepped forward and dragged her away. "I told you to control yourself, Leaf!" she growled. "Come, my dear," Misty said in a motherly voice and linking arms with me, followed the others to the further part of the deck, where a huge table, laden with goodies and a huge cake, was sitting. It took a while for me to take in everything. I felt tears start to sting my eyes and I remembered the same day, thirteen years ago. _I won't lose you, too. I'll die trying. _I felt sadness and anger fill my heart at that moment. "Oh, Daddy," I whispered. Lucario tapped my arm. "There's no time like the present." I blinked at him, thankful that he had helped me contain my feelings. "Since when did you become so wise, old man?" I sniffed. The others were, thankfully, too engrossed in preparing the seats. A thought suddenly struck me.

"What happened to the other passengers?"

"Ah, well, we decided to go past Sinnoh and visit Iron Island first to visit a friend first." I nodded, still excited that I was going to meet someone else. I suddenly realised that the familiar blonde-head was missing. "Where's Barry?" I asked. "Oh, he said he had something urgent to do in Sinnoh and left but he told us to give this to you," Misty replied, handing me something wrapped in colourful paper. I removed it. My eyes moistened again as I realised that it was a pendant portraying the emblem of The Land of Peace.

We proceeded with the festivities, with Ash devouring most of the food.

"Say Dawn," he said coming up to me. "What's that in your hand?" I raised an eyebrow and showed him. I saw the longing in his eyes. "Here, take it," I sighed. With a shout of triumph, he rushed off. I felt like knocking my head on a wall repeatedly. From the corner of my eyes, I observed Misty's face contort. So she really _did _like Ash. I had to suppress my laughter. I noticed Paul simply staring out into the ocean, a thoughtful look on his face. His bangs were blowing in the wind. He looked, at that moment, so peaceful. I felt my heart thump faster.

"Of all people, why you?" I grumbled under my breath.

"Hey, Dawn, look! There's Iron Island!" Leaf shrieked in my ear. I narrowed my eyes at her. "You ate the cake didn't you?" I saw the guilty look on her face. "Heh heh…" and with that she dashed away from my reach. I rolled my eyes. "Dawn, have you ever been to Iron Island?" Drew asked me. I saw May's nostrils flare from a distance.

"Don't talk to her!" she stormed up to us.

Sighing, I gave May a good luck sign as they started their routine.

"And why shouldn't I?"

"Because you're a good-for-nothing idiot, that's why!"

"And what makes me an idiot?"

"SHUT UP!"

Rubbing my temples, I saw Leaf walking up to Gary. Discreetly, he touched her butt. In her 'intoxicated' state, Leaf whacked him on the head. "What are you doing you hentai?" I now had a faint idea of who liked who. The only person left to talk to was Paul. Shyly, I walked up next to him, the events of last night burned forever in my memory.

**(Paul's POV)**

I watched in disgust as the others fooled around. Ketchum was stuffing his mouth full of whatever was left and the bandana-head was arguing with the Grass-head. Gary was leeching on the high girl. The carrot-top was staring at Ketchum. That only left Troublesome. I smirked as I remembered the shocked look on her face as she fell to the ground. She had fallen perfectly for my trap.

"Hey Paul," I heard a soft voice next to me. I looked to find Troublesome on my left, a tiny blush gracing her cheeks. I was surprised she even had the guts to talk to me. I was curious about her, which I wouldn't be stupid enough to reveal. When she had found the tracking device, the reaction of both her and her Pokémon was shocking enough. And that man who came to find her. He looked suspicious.

"So, uh, um, well, what do you plan to do after leaving us?"

I hadn't really thought about it. I would go back to travelling alone, I mused. It was nothing out-of-the-ordinary for me.

"Hn."

I saw her pupils dilate. "That doesn't answer my question, you know," she grumbled. She looked cute, pouting. Wait-what the hell was my brain doing to me? I erased the mental image of her. Suddenly, the boat shook violently and she tumbled onto my chest. The scent of strawberry filled my nostrils. She detached herself from me, turning a bright tomato red.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," she muttered.

I snickered. "You know Troublesome, that doesn't actually seduce me." She blinked furiously, and her breathing became more rapid. "Well, I'm sorry but I'm not the one who tries to trick people with dirty methods!" She almost made me feel guilty. Almost. "We're here," the Captain shouted. Everyone stopped fooling around and we separated to pack our bags before getting off the ferry.

"I wonder if we'll see Riley," Ketchum murmured in my ear. Irritating pest. I moved away from him. He jumped back next to me and started rambling on who-knows-what. A gasp from the girls stopped us.

**Dawn's POV**

There was a Lucario standing in front of us. A _Lucario._ I saw Lu staring at the other one of his species curiously. "I have no idea why but he seems strangely familiar," Lucario rumbled.

"Ash, how are you?" I heard a deep voice ask.

I looked at the direction of the voice. All time seems to stop. I froze.

"R-Riley?" I croaked. The man in the hat looked at me curiously before something lit up in his eyes. "Hikari!" He took great steps towards me and embraced me tightly. I felt a lone tear roll down my cheek. "I heard. I thought they'd kill you too," he whispered. I could sense the tightness in my throat. He released me, grinning. He noticed Lucario. "Good job," he smiled, ruffling my hair. I felt like my heart was about to burst. I never thought I'd see my cousin ever again. As expected, the others were looking at me like some kind of lunatic.

"You know him." May stated, emphasising each word. "Actually, he's my cousin," I confessed. The rest of the gang gawked at us. "Is it just me or do you happen to know every guy we know?" Ash asked. For once, Misty didn't use her mallet.

A sudden rumbling was heard in the distance. To my absolute horror, the Galactic ship appeared in full view. "It's Galactic!" Ash yelled. I stood rooted to the ground, unable to believe my ears.

"You guys know _them_?"

* * *

That's it for now guys 8D Hope you enjoyed it…Rate and review! Yeah, don't tell me there wasn't enough violence. I typed this real stealthily so my mom won't figure out *Sweatdrops*

[1]Happy Birthday


	10. Chapter 6

I don't know how much I can thank you guys for continuing to support me even though I haven't uploaded this chapter in about 5 months. I can't believe how much time passes and I hope I have become much more mature and that my writing has improved. I'm really really glad you guys have stuck by me. I hope you can handle waiting a little more, for the next few chapters. I reach home around 4p.m and I end up sleeping around 12 a.m *Sigh* So many projects and our End of Year exams are coming in a few months TT^TT How time passes. You guys can check out my blo . of a shinigami. . c o m . - REMOVE THE SPACES, PLEASE

WARNING : GORY PARTS ( not that much but still XD )

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It took a while to comprehend the fact that the gang knew Team Galactic. "Of course," Ash said. "They've been trying to capture some Pokémon from time to time. It seems like they have a motive to do something completely evil. I bet they're here for something similar too." I had trouble breathing. Riley's face had turned completely stone-like.

"Those fucking bastards," he hissed.

I flinched. I rushed to his side. "It's all right. We'll do something about it," I tried to reassure him.

His eyes softened as he turned to look at me. "And risk your safety? I don't think so. They'll have to get through me first." Memories whizzed through my head like a flash.

"No!" I shouted. Everyone looked startled. "I'm not going to abandon anyone. I'm not weak like I was!" I realised I sounded pathetically desperate. "I'm not going to run," I whispered.

"You have heard of them, Dawn?" Misty asked. "I wonder what they're up to this time."

I nodded. "I've, um, heard about them from some people," I lied through my teeth. I was feeling guilty about hiding this from them but I couldn't risk others' selfishly just for my sake.

"Then we'll drive them away together, all right?" May grinned.

"Hell yeah!" Gary yelled.

Riley eyed me and nodded reluctantly. I sighed in relief. The airship grew closer until it finally landed. My arm started throbbing. The door opened and Mars and Jupiter stepped out. Their eyes scanned over us, before finally resting on me. They smirked. I cringed.

Pretty cliché.

"Give us the girl," Mars stated simply.

I opened my mouth in horror.

"And what girl are you talking about, exactly?" Drew asked, glaring. I noticed he moved slightly in front of May. I would have squealed over that if this were not a serious moment. Her finger landed on me from a distance. I bit my lip as the others turned to look at me.

"What do you have to do with her?" Misty challenged, moving forward.

"Whatever you want with her, we're definitely not going to let her go with you thugs!" May screeched as a terrifying aura enveloped her. "All right, then," Mars shrugged. "But nothing in this world comes for free, just to let you know."

Immediately, an image of Asuka-san was projected on a screen. My eyes widened as she stared at the image. It was _real._

Asuka-san was tied up to a pole. She was bleeding from a cut in her forehead. Takashi-kun was being kicked in the stomach repeatedly and his face flashed a look of intense pain. She kept screaming his name over and over, with tears streaming down her face.

_Blood. Blood. Blood. Everywhere. "You know you did this don't you?"_

"Hikari! Come back!"

I looked up at Lucario. His eyes were clouded with worry. "Are you thinking about that again?"

I managed a faint smile. "No, of course not, I'm fine."

"I'll go with you if you let them go!"

Asuka-san's amber eyes flashed with pain as she looked up at me, the blood trickling down her nose. Her beautiful curls were smudged too. It seemed like she could hear and see me. "You can't!"

The knife blade pressed against her neck and a trickle of blood flowed down the tip. Takashi-kun growled and tried to attack his captor but he was silenced with a blow to his stomach, and red liquid spurted out of his mouth.

"Stop it!" I screamed. "'l'll go with you!"

Asuka-san shouted wildly, before one sentence that she said stopped everything. "I have it, the information for what you're seeking! Let her go for now!" Jupiter and Mars turned to the screen in shock.

Cyrus' voice resonated, "Abandon mission." The screen went blank and I felt a piercing stare on me from somewhere in the ship.

Saturn.

Jupiter and Mars jumped back in and the wind blew wildly as the airship started to rise. I was left clenching and unclenching my fists, the injustice of it all making me want to scream out loud in frustration.

"Dawn, what did he mean they mean by wanting you? And that man and woman, do you know them?

"What do you think, Dawn? Are you going to tell them?" I stared into Lucario's eyes.

"I can't put anyone else's life in danger, Lucario, I just can't," I whispered. "I'll just…tell them that I didn't want them to be hurt. That way, I can keep this secret. No one else will know about it, right?"

_That's right. This was my own problem, associating with me probably was bad for them. Just pretending to be a girl with no home, an unknown past, it would ensure their safety. No one would suffer. Not because of me. Asuka-san…She was having all this punishment unleashed on her because of me. And Takashi-kun too, he loved her and that bastard, Saturn, has somehow figured it out. _

"Dawn? Are you feeling all right? You've been spacing out for some time."

I looked up to see Misty gazing at me worriedly. "I…I just, it's that they were captured by Team Galactic because of me, for some unknown reason. So I just can't let them get hurt!"

Lucario kept silent, studying me. I lowered my head, forcing my mouth into a smile. I looked up, grinning as wide as possible. "I'll go find them and get them away. I'll be fine from now on. You guys should probably be on your way."

"What on Arceus are you saying now, Dawn?" May shrieked. "We're your friends now, remember?"

"Yeah, we're gonna help you with whatever you do!" Leaf added.

"And if any of you disagree…" Misty eyes the boys, a threatening aura flowing around her. Paul's face remained void of any expression but I caught the flicker of distaste in his eyes. Somehow, I had made this matter even worse.

"Really, there's no need. I'm not that incapable," I ended with a dry laugh.

Everyone eyes me skeptically. "Oh really?" Misty snorted, pointing at my injured arm. "What if that gets infected or you get hurt again? What if they find out that you're following them? What do you think they'll do?"

I was stumped. There was no reason for me to offer. Riley walked up to me, and he clutched my shoulders. "It's best if you stay with them, Hikari. Please. I don't want you to have any more nightmares. You remembered again, didn't you?" I looked up at my cousin, fighting the urge to burst into tears and just forget all of this. I had to stay strong; I didn't have any knight in shining armour. I had to make it through this by myself.

"Dawn?" Leaf whispered, giving me a tight hug. "Don't worry, we can do this together all right?"

I realised I had to stop being so selfish and take into consideration the others' feelings. They wanted to help and I was pushing them away. "You're right, no need to worry! We'll find them won't we?" I smiled, a genuine feeling of happiness filling my heart. Misty and May grinned, hugging me along with Leaf. I felt a trickle of liquid leaking out from the corner of my eyes. "Thanks so much, you guys."

Paul was eyeing me with a skeptical look and when our eyes met, he scoffed and looked away. I felt my cheeks turn red. May raised and eyebrow and elbowed me. Leaf winked. Misty just looked confused. She turned around just to see Ash give me thumbs up.

Normal POV

The girls just wanted to face palm at Ash's bad timing as Misty's face suddenly darkened. Riley silently prayed that the group's journey would go well. The next morning, the gang left Iron Island, after an emotional farewell between Riley and Dawn.

"AND TO SINNOH WE GO!" Ash shouted at the top of his lungs, and the passengers on board the boat stared at him in shock. The others scratched their heads sheepishly but couldn't help their lips curving upwards. But as Dawn watched her friends fool around, she couldn't get rid of the uneasy feeling at the back of her head.

"Oh my gosh," was all Dawn managed to breathe, as the group walked out of the harbour. "I've never been to Sinnoh before," she squealed. Everyone else turned to look at her in disbelief.

"Which planet do you live on?" Gary blinked.

"Um," Dawn turned bright red. She shrugged. She had no absolutely no idea and excuse for her situation. Put aside that fact, she only had **one** Pokémon. It would certainly seem strange to others.

"OHMIGOSH IS THAT P-"

"Shut up you idiot! Do you want others to find out?"

Dawn turned to see two girls staring at Paul. One had bright pink hair that was curled and the other was a brunette.

"Oh my, it's Miss Number Two," the pink-haired girl snickered suddenly. Dawn was starting to get confused.

"Who's Miss Num-" she was cut-off by the furious look on May's face. "Oh."

"C'mon guys, we've got to go and find a hotel," Misty murmured, pushing May forward hurriedly. "Nice seeing you, Ursula," she spat as they passed the two girls.

"See you, Paul!" the girl named Ursula waved, a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. The mauve-haired boy ignored her and put his hands in his jacket pockets. For some strange reason, Dawn felt relief.

"So…?" the bluenette turned to the boys.

"Long story short," Drew started. "May, Ursula and I are cooridnators. The last time May and Ursula competed in this female coordinator event and Ursula came in first and May, second. Since then, Ursula's been gloating and throwing it in her face everytime they meet. Ursula also has an obvious crush on Mr Shut-Up-And-Leave-Me-Alone here."

Dawn nodded slowly, trying to take in this information. _So Paul has a huge fanbase huh? Wait, why am I thinking about Paul? NO, I CAN'T. I CAN'T. _

"Dawn you okay? You're turning red."

The bluenette's head shot up and she grinned at Leaf. "Just thinking."

"We need to find a place where they won't recognise any of us." May sighed. She had cooled down at last.

"Come to think of it," Dawn stared at the others. "Why did all of you put on sunglasses?"

She found it hard to believe that even _Paul_ had done it. "Disguise," Ash lamented. She raised an eyebrow. It was hardly much but at least, nobody would easily recognise them from afar.

"Oh look, this hotel! It doesn't look like many people go in." Leaf pointed at a building in a shady corner. The rest of the group paused to look at it before the unanimous decision to enter.

"Welcome, your rooms will be ready in a moment."

They waited as the receptionist entered something on the computer.

"Here you go, your room numbers. I'm afraid there are only four rooms left so two of you will have to stay in one room. We don't have many visitors but today there was a formal event and the guests are staying in the hotel. And our hotel also has a policy that each guest must have a companion of the opposite gender."

The enormity of the situation hit the group. "OPPOSITE GENDER! WHAT KIND OF HOTEL IS THIS?" Misty screeched.

"We don't have any choice Misty," May grumbled. "It's almost time for lunch and I haven't seen any other minor hotels on the map. The rest are all the major ones. Plus, we don't have that much money on us right now."

"So, who's sleeping with who?" Leaf muttered.

"That sounds totally wrong," Dawn commented.

"Well," the long-haired brunette smacked her forehead. "You get my point."

"Um, well, since I was travelling with Gary last time, I'll stay with him."

"No problem, m'lady. I shall not let you sleep a wink tonight."

"GARY YOU PERVERT!" Leaf screamed in his ear.

"I will be reserving this lovely lady here," Drew smirked, placing a rose in May's hair. May smacked his hand. "What about my opinion, you womanizer?"

The remaining four stared at each other.

"It's alright Dawn, you can stay with Ash." Misty smiled but the pain in her eyes was quite evident. The bluenette realised things were going to go downhill if she slept in the same room as the black-haired boy.

"She's staying with me. That settles it right?"

Everyone turned to Paul slowly in disbelief. "That's probably the longest sentence you've ever uttered in you life," Drew snickered, patting Paul on the shoulder. The eight separated as they entered their individual rooms.

"Have a shower and meet at two?" Dawn suggested before they entered the room. The rest agreed and Dawn nervously followed the purple-haired boy. "Thanks Paul, I'm so glad you said that. Misty really likes Ash so it's great if they stay together."

"Don't you like him too?"

"Wha-Of course not!" The bluentte turned a bright red. "Wait, you actually answered me?"

"Hn."

"Are you going to shower first?" she asked him. He nodded and wordlessly entered the bathroom. Dawn sat on the bed, taking note that there was only _one_ bed in the room. It was spacious and decorated with ornaments.

"Paul! I'm going down for a while." There was no reply and Dawn slowly opened the door. She left her bag on the dresser and made her way to the lobby. She looked outside. The afternoon sun was shining brightly on the people walking outside. _If I hadn't been born as the princess, I wonder, could I have lived a normal life like them too? _

"Hey miss, you a guest here?" She turned to find a brown-haired man leering at her. "Ah-I, sorry I have to go," she gasped and turned to flee. Dawn felt dread fill her as he grabbed her arm. "What do you say, let's have some fun."

"I said NO!" She felt an electric pulse run through her body and she watched in shock as the men suddenly sagged and collapsed. She gasped and rushed back to the room, slamming the door shut. Her heavy breathing slowed down. _What have I done? Did I kill him? _

"Hikari?"

She looked at her Pokémon. "Don't ever go anywhere without me, okay?" She nodded, her eyes still wide with fear. "I-What did I do, Lucario? A man tried to take me somewhere and I pushed him and he collapsed."

"Your powers, Hikari. You must have acted instincively to protect yourself from that man. He must have just fainted."

"I see," she whispered. "Then, I can protect myself without having other people get hurt. I'm happy but…"

The Pokémon placed his head in Dawn's lap. "I shall return to my Pokéball, then, Hikari, my head is still spinning from that boat ride." She giggled and returned her Pokémon. The bathroom door creaked open and Dawn looked up at Paul.

A towel was wrapped around his waist and he was _shirtless_. His well-developed chest was in full view and the droplets of water trickling down did not help the girl.

Paul smirked. "Like what you see?"

Dawn blanched. To think Paul would say something so cliché like that and still sound hot. Her heart fluttered. "I'm going in now," she muttered, her cheeks turning a fresh red and she grabbed her towel she had left on the bed.

As the water cleansed her body, her head cleared up. She was still trying to digest what had happened over the span of time she had left the airship. "I…I can't fall in love," she whispered to herself. "If I do, they'll find out and use him. Or my friends. Still, I can't be selfish and I have to accept their help just as long as I don't let them find out about Paul."

She heard the rustling outside the bathroom as Paul changed. Her cheeks grew hotter and she inhaled a little bit of water, which resulted in a fit of coughing. Her eyes stung when the water entered. "Damn you," she grumbled.

"Paul, I'm coming out," she called. Silence met her and she peeped out of the door and scanned the room. A scream ripped through her throat as she stared at the disfigured, bloody mess on the bed. Paul's eyes had rolled to the back of his head and his mouth was open in shock. His chest had been slashed so severely she could almost see the organs spilling out. She covered her mouth, the bile rising in her throat and she fell back into the bathroom, slamming the door, her head pounding so hard it hurt. She stumbled over to the washbasin and retched, her empty stomach producing nothing but bile. She sank to her knees, shivering, still clutching her towel around her tightly.

"Oi, woman, hurry up. We're going to be late!"

Her head snapped up. She barely noticed the deep cut on her arm as a result of hitting it against the sharp mirror. She opened the door slowly, her head replaying that scene over and over. Paul was staring at her questioningly. She eyed the bed, then Paul and back to the bed again.

_Oh god, what did I just see?_

Paul watched in horror as the drops of blood dripped from her hand to the floor. She was death pale, almost as if she had seen a ghost.

"Stupid woman, what did you do now?" he hissed.

He grabbed her injured arm, forgetting the fact that she was only clothed in her towel. She was staring at him with a dazed look on her face and she looked as if she was about burst into tears any moment. He brought her over to the bed and sat her down before rummaging the room for a First Aid kit. As he bandaged her arm, droplets of liquid landed on his arm. He felt his heart contract painfully as he looked up at her azure eyes. They were filled with so much despair he felt like he was drowning in it.

"I'll wait outside, get ready," he sighed and stood up to leave realising with a start that he was in such close proximity to a girl who was barely clothed.

He felt a tug on his shirt and he turned around to face her. She fell into his arms, wrapping her own around his neck. He felt heat rising to his face as her body pressed against his.

"You can't, you can't," she cried.

"What-"

"You can't leave me. YOU CAN'T! You can't die!"

"All right," he snapped. "Just get off me."

She let go and their eyes met. He felt his heart drop into a bottomless pit, as, for a moment, her eyes looked like that of a doll, lifeless, with absolutely no emotion in them.

"Dawn," he choked.

The mentioned girl gasped and her eyes returned back to normal and he felt relief fill his entire. He released himself from her grip and rushed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Dawn felt the tears slipping down her cheeks and uncontrollable sobs wracked her body. Lucario emerged from his Pokéball, soothing his owner before her cries escalated into wails.

"Just like that-just like it, oh why Lucario? Why? Why? Will I be forced to do it? Why?"

The Pokémon could only gaze with sadness for his mistress and wipe her tears until she found someone who would stay by her side, always.

* * *

The group was waiting at the lobby as Paul slowly made his way there. "Eh, where's Dawn?" Leaf peered behind the purple-haired boy.

They were met with silence and Misty started to tap her foot impatiently.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late," Dawn ran down the stairs.

"What took you so long?" May demanded.

"Well, I-"

"Oh gosh, Dawn! What happened to your hand?"

"I cut it on the glass mirror," the bluenette confessed sheepishly.

"Did he do anything to you?" Misty glared at Paul.

"What, of course not, Misty. He's the one who bandaged my arm!"

"I see," Misty smiled at the girl. "Let's get going!"

Everyone had donned their sunglasses again and Dawn couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Oh that one looks great," Leaf squealed, pointing to a café. "I've heard of it and they serve lots of delicious meals."

"Affordable?" Misty questioned.

"Check!"

"All right then, it's decided! We're going to that café."

"Hey, where do we get our say in this?" Gary grumbled.

"We don't," Drew replied. "Trust me, it always end up with them deciding everything."

"Any problems?" May turned around to face Drew, her face twitching with irritation.

"Nothing at all," he raised his hands in defeat.

"Right, we don't want to attract too much attention to ourselves," Misty realised.

They seated themselves at a large table and Dawn flipped through the menu, her mouth watering as she gazed at each dish longignly. She sighed, a long, depressing sound.

"Dawn?"

"I don't have any money with me," she despaired.

"We've got you covered, no problem," Misty assured her.

They made their order and waited. A waiter soon came over to them, and Hikari looked up to see a young boy, perhaps around the age of 15. His blonde hair was tied back in a short ponytail. He looked strangely familiar.

"Sorry for the long wait," he apologised as he placed their orders on the table. As his eyes met Dawn's, his face darkened.

"Nee-chan?"

* * *

So, what do you guys think? I WARNED YOU IT WOULD BE GORY. I had no idea what to write and then this thing popped up, so I was like, "Whatever, I'll write it then". I ALWAYS get my inspiration in the bathroom for some weird reason. It freaks me out too. I'm so glad I FINALLY finished this chapter after months of procrastinating and lots of excuses. I APPRECIATE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISICM. I hope that my dialogues are clearer now and that you people have enjoyed this chapter. I'm really sad to say that **I'm discontinuing this story**…

Did my trick work? No **I'm just kidding**, don't worry, I wouldn't even dream of it unless I'm desperate to survive in school. Here, cookies for mina-san for sticking with me all the way. i don't know what's with me today, I feel unusually hyper and I'm sorry if you think I was being mean.


	11. FINAL AN

**A/N : I have some disappointing / depressing news for you guys. I'll be dicontinuing this because I really can't handle all the workload and stress from school ( it's _only_ been 3 days since school started -" ). I know you've all been waiting for updates and such but I don't think I'll be able to complete it. By some miracle, if I ever feel like updating it, I suppose you could expect a chapter but that's very rare.**

**To make up for breaking your hearts, I promise to post one-shots ( some of which have been written halfway and forgotten ).**

**You guys probably hate me now. But school takes priority above all if I want to take a certain subject combination next year so…**

**I'M SO SORRY! *bows repeatedly***

**~Beth-chan**


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